Time is Gold
by thexz09
Summary: ON HOLD INDEFINITELY.Ren was always trying to keep himself from revealing his true feelings towards Kyoko, but what would he do if, apart from Sho, a new rival appears? If this rival would be capable of stealing Kyoko away from him, what would he do?
1. Chapter 1: The Begonia

**Time is Gold**

**Uhm.. I hope you can forgive me if ever this bores you out, but I hope you'll be **

**patient with me… It's my first time writing a fanfic... I'm sorry if some are OOC… **

**also, please let me know what I can do to improve my stories….. I would appreciate **

**it a lot… thanks!! ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SKIP BEAT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS **

**(though I do own, Nobuo-san and Ueda-san --****made-up characters.. yay!!… ^_^)

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**Chapter 1: The Begonia**

It was a bright morning, and Kyoko was happily riding her bicycle in the street. Today was the day her Moko-san was coming back from Hong Kong, since she left for a job offer. She decided to go to the airport to welcome her best friend back. She was really excited and happy to see her again, since she wasn't able to do so for the past few days; she became lonely for not being able to eat ice cream with her for some time. Since she was daydreaming the whole way to the airport, she didn't notice that she was already there. She placed her bike near a pole, locked it there, then went inside. She was deciding on whether or not she should've bought a welcome home present for Moko-san, when someone called up to her.

"Kyoko-chan!"

She turned around to where she heard the voice, and saw Yashiro-san with Tsuruga-san. They just arrived from a job outside Tokyo, and they were carrying bags, "Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san, good morning!"

"Good Morning" both replied.

Kyoko wondered why they were here, but suddenly noticed their bags, and asked, "Uhm, did you arrive from somewhere, Tsuruga-san?"

"Yes, we went to Hokkaido for a photo shoot three days ago, we just arrived from our trip. I guess I forgot to mention it to you before." Ren said

"oh" she said, and then she suddenly remembered something important "So Yashiro-san, has Tsuruga-san been eating properly during your stay in Hokkaido?" She asked with suspicious eyes. "Or did he prefer to eat food with no nutrients that are sold at the convenient stores?" she said, and then stole a glance at Tsuruga-san.

"Actually, Kyoko-chan" Yashiro-san said, while looking mischievously at Ren, returning him a warning look, "Ren always skipped his lunch, and during dinner, he only ate rice balls from the convenient stores."

With a horrified look, Kyoko looked at Ren saying, "Tsuruga-san, you should really take your health seriously, because if your body fails you, you won't be able to act out your roles properly, and Yashiro-san might have some difficulties taking care of you when you're sick. I know that you prioritize your acting very much, but that doesn't mean that you should forget about your health."

Yashiro, who suddenly though of a plan, said, "I know, Kyoko-chan! Why don't you cook for Ren tonight? Because I'm sure that he would just skip dinner after his job later. It would really be a great help for Ren, right Ren?"

Ren, throwing a gentlemanly smile at Yashiro-san, said, "You really don't need to, Mogami-san. It's fine, and I'm sure that you're busy with your new acting roles right now."

"No, it's okay Tsuruga-san, plus I'm sure Yashiro-san is telling the truth. And, it's the least I could do, because you always helped me out when I had troubles, so I guess it's only right for me to help you with yours. You and your bad eating habits." She sighed

Ren, despite knowing that she didn't do this out of what he wanted her to do this out of(love, to be straight to the point), was happy that Kyoko was keeping her company during the night and that she was going to cook for him. But, it still hurt him that she felt like it was her duty to do this to him. Suddenly feeling quite annoyed, he smiled a bright, high-voltage, gentlemanly smile at Kyoko, causing her to cringe in fright.

She thought that she must have done something to make Ren mad, for her to receive such a smile full of anger. Then, she realized that he must've been offended that she lectured her. _'For a kohai to lecture her senpai about his eating habits…It's certainly not right!'_ Jumping to the floor, and doing a dogeza, she cried, "waaaaaaaaaah!! I'M SORRY TSURUGA-SAN!! I didn't mean to make you mad, I was just really concerned about your health!! I didn't mean to offend you!! I'M REALLY SORRY!!!" she said, with her nose touching the floor.

Ren, seeing such a sight, almost wasn't able to suppress his laughter. Unfortunately, Yashiro-san wasn't so controlled. "Mogami-san, I'm not mad. Please stop bowing on the floor, people are already having suspicions." Ren said with a genuine, comforting smile. "Really, I'm not mad." Kyoko, realizing that he's telling the truth, stood up.

"By the way, Kyoko-chan, why are you here at the airport?" asked Yashiro-san.

"Oh, I'm here to welcome Moko-san back!" she said with a happy smile. "She came from a job in Hong Kong, and I'm hoping that I can wait for her here." Feeling a lot more excited than before.

"I see." Yashiro-san said while looking at his watch. "Anyways, Kyoko-chan, Ren and I have to get going. Ren still has to rest and prepare for his work later. We have to go. I hope you don't mind." He said.

"I understand. I'll just go wait here for Moko-san." She said to Yashiro-san, then she turned to Ren, her voice grave, "Tsuruga-san, please don't forget to eat your lunch. And have a good day" she finished with a smile and a bow. Both men left afterwards. Then when she turned her head, she saw... "Moooooookooooooo-saaaaaaaan, welcoooome baaaaaack!!!!" Kyoko said, and went running towards Moko-san, ready to hug her tightly.

"Mo! Stop that!" moko-san said, avoiding her hug, but upon seeing Kyoko make a sad face with puppy-dog-eyes, she gave up'_This is why I don't like having friends', _"Fine", she said. Kyoko's expression suddenly brightened, and hugged her best friend. Moko feeling happy to actually see her friend again.

_**After a few hours, arriving at LME…**_

"So, how was the shoot, Moko-san?" Kyoko asked, feeling overly happy to be reunited with her friend again. They were walking along the hallways of LME, wearing their striking, pink overalls.

"Fine, I guess" Moko-san answered calmly and indifferently. "Anyway, why are we heading to Sawara-san's office right now?"

"He said he had something to tell me, though he did sound very happy when he called me. I wonder what it is about?" She said while thinking, with her pointer finger tapping her chin.

Moko-san stopped on her tracks. "To tell YOU?! Then why am I coming along with you??!!" She said with annoyance, and turned her head around in the other direction.

"Eh?!" Kyoko said and, realizing her friend had stopped, she turned around to see her friend annoyed. Then, while pointing her two pointer fingers towards each other, she said sadly, "Mokooo-san, I wanted you to come with me because I was hoping we can go shopping afterwards, and _to c-catch up w-with each o-other_(voice starts trembling) _because I-I missed y-y-you. I'm s-s-sorry."_

Moko-san, hearing her friend's voice tremble, slowly turned her head around with a face full of terror, and saw her friend nearly crying. _'Oh no! What should I do?!'_ Then she suddenly said, while walking, "Oi! What're you doing, moping there? We have to hurry up or else we won't have time to go shopping! I still have a drama to shoot later!"

Kyoko, quickly recovering, skipped beside her best friend, and made their way into Sawara-san's office.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Ren and Yashiro were heading for the place where their job will be.

"Oh, Ren, I just remembered, have you already picked out the roles you wanted to take?" Yashiro-san said.

"Yes. I choose those two handed to us yesterday morning, and the one we just received." Ren replied.

"Okay then. I'll make the necessary calls when we reach the studio." Yashiro said, while smiling to himself, _'Ren will totally be surprised and happy about this, I'm sure of it! I know he would be able to thank me later'_ he thought.

Ren, suddenly sensing that there was something not right with Yashiro's actions, decided to let it pass, since he had to thank him for letting Kyoko cook dinner for him tonight.

_**At the studio…**_

When they reached the studio, Yashiro told him that he needed to do some paperwork, and so he left immediately, and then Ren's eyes suddenly caught something very familiar. Neon pink overalls. He was surprised to see her, so when he approached her, he asked, "What are you doing here, Mogami-san?"

Kyoko looked up, also surprised to see him, but she still bowed respectfully, "Uhm, I'm here to meet the cast for this movie. Actually, I just got informed about it this morning, when Moko-san and I went to see Sawara-san. He told me to go here this afternoon because I was going to be in this movie, and he said that I can't refuse." She explained.

'_So that's why Yashiro-san was so happy in the car a while ago. He was expecting this!_' He mentally sighed. "Oh, which part are you going to play, then?" he asked.

"Um, I'm not exactly sure, but Sawara-san said that I would be playing the lead female role, but I doubt that, since I've only just started in my acting career." She said.

"Well, whatever your role is, let's just do our best, right, Mogami-san?" Ren asked, feeling quite happy to work with her again.

"Hai!" she answered enthusiastically. _'It's so nice that I get to witness his acting first-hand again. I can't wait for the shooting to start!'_

(Translation: "Hai!" means "yes" in English)

"Alright, everyone, please proceed in the meeting room!" Said Director Ueda Kazuhiro, the director for the movie.

The director was a tall man, with a fine figure. He looked like he was only in his late twenties or early thirties. He had a fair skin, blue eyes, and dark brown hair in a spiky hairstyle. He was wearing some plain jeans and a t-shirt. Although he was wearing plain clothes, he looked really handsome, and you wouldn't expect him to be a director, a well-known one at that.

"Good Afternoon everyone, I'm glad that all of you are present at this meeting for this movie, _'The Apricot Blossom: A timid Love'_. It's a romantic movie, about a rich family's daughter that has never experienced life outside the house, which will be played by Mogami-san. She was forbidden to go beyond their gates. She only had one friend who also belonged in a rich family, played by Nobuo Takashi, but then he would only treat her like a servant and make fun of her so she always cried, until she met a boy who once sneaked into their house, and became friends with him, which will be played by Tsuruga-san." He paused, seeming to recollect his thoughts, "I expect a lot from everyone here today. I wish to make this movie a success, so I won't tolerate anyone slacking off. We would start filming tomorrow at 8 am in TBM studios. Please arrive early for your make-ups and costumes."

Kyoko, who had been quiet most of the time, was looking at the actor beside her, Nobuo Takashi. He had blond hair, blue, mesmerizing eyes, fair skin, a fit body, and a certain aura around him. He looked like he was just in his late teens (like 18 or 19), and he looked very handsome. Kyoko thought that there was something familiar about this guy so she kept on staring, but before she was able to wake up from her stupor, the said actor noticed her staring at him so he turned to look at her with a questioning and annoyed look. _'Oh no! What do I do?!'

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**I guess that's it for now!! Takashi has a really annoying personality, eh?? ^^.Oh, yea, and I kind ofdecided to put names of flowers (with certain meanings) as the titles for the chapters!! And I'vedecided to give out the meaning of the flower after each chapter so that it won't reveal the content ofthe story… This chapter's tile, "The Begonia" means "Beware! I am fanciful!".. I just figured thatTakashi really gave off that kind of vibe… ^_^**

**I'm sorry if there weren't much things that happened, but don't worry, I'll do it on the next chapter!!^^..Anyways, please feel free to tell me what you think about this chapter, and what youwould like me to add… I would really like that!! ^.^. Also, please tell me if I spelled somethingwrong…Thanks.. **

**I hope you would continue to support and be patient with me, and please look forward to the nextchapter, though I'm not sure when I would be able to post that… Maybe next week, depends on themotivation I get and the time I have, I guess… ^_^**

**---****PLEASE REVIEW!! XD---**


	2. Chapter 2: The Blue Periwinkle

**Time is Gold**

**Hi there!! I guess I was wrong about not being able to update soon… Fortunately, we won't have any classes on Monday(yay!), so I can add another chapter or two before I start studying again. ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SKIP BEAT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS **

**Chapter 2: The Blue Periwinkle**

Kyoko, who had been quiet most of the time, was looking at the actor beside her, Nobuo Takashi. He had blond hair, blue, mesmerizing eyes, fair skin, a fit body, and a friendly aura around him. He looked like he was just in his late teens (like 18 or 19), and he looked very handsome. Kyoko thought that there was something familiar about this guy, but before she was able to wake up from her stupor, the said actor noticed her staring at him so turned to look at her with a questioning look. _'Oh no! What do I do?!'_

"Excuse me, but do I have something on my face? You seem to be staring at me for a while now" Takashi said in a quiet, but annoyed voice, so only the two of them can hear.

"U-u-uhmm..." she replied in a quivering voice, unable to think properly because of the look the actor was giving her, but before she was able to recollect her thoughts, the actor turned away from her. _'How stupid of me! He must be mad at me now! What a good first impression, Kyoko!'_she mentally scolded herself.

"Okay, so that's it for now. I am looking forward to working with everyone soon. Have a nice day" Director Ueda said.

Everyone left the meeting room, and since Kyoko felt that she needed to apologize, she chased after Takashi.

"Uhm… Nobuo-san!" Kyoko called out.

Takashi turned around and seeing that it was only Kyoko who called him, he decided to ignore her, but then Kyoko was able to catch up with him. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, expecting to hear something from her.

"Nobuo-san," she said panting, and then bowed. "I am really sorry about what happened a while ago. I didn't mean to stare at you. I was just thinking about something, and I wasn't able to notice that I was already becoming rude. I am really sorry." Kyoko said contritely, and straightened her posture slowly while looking up, afraid to see if he was mad, but curious to know what his expression was.

Takashi sighed, "It's okay, Mogami-san. Just don't do that next time, it annoys me," he said bluntly.

"Yes, I'm sorry again," she bowed again, and then Takashi left._ 'Oh, great! I just met him, and now he's mad at me,_' she sighed.

_**inside Ren's car…**_

"Tsuruga-san, you didn't have to pay for all the groceries. It's really okay, since I have some spare money. I really don't mind" Kyoko said, feeling guilty that her senpai had to pay for the groceries.

"It's the least I could do, Mogami-san. You're already going to cook for me anyway." Ren said with a genuine smile.

Kyoko gave up in convincing him, and just started sitting quietly, while looking out of the window at the stars in the sky. She was in deep thought, _'Nobuo-san really looks familiar, though I can't figure out whom…Oh, what am I thinking?!' _then she started knocking at her head_' He's already mad at me for staring at him, and then I still keep on thinking about these things ' _she sighed, and started to feel all depressed.

Ren, who at the whole trip always glanced at Kyoko every once in a while, was wondering about what she was thinking about, since she was making a somewhat sad face. "Mogami-san, is something wrong? You seem to be depressed about something," he asked in a concerned tone.

Kyoko started to panic, _'I shouldn't tell him! He'll get mad at me for sure!!' _("How stupid of you!! You disappoint me very much!! I don't want you as a kohai anymore!! Don't appear in front of me ever again!!" she imagined Ren saying that to her with a look of the Demon Lord) _'NOOOOOOOO!!' _she thought, horrified. "Uhm… It's nothing really significant. I-it's just that I thought Nobuo-san is really l-looked familiar. It's like I've m-met him somewhere before, but that's i-impossible. He's a really famous actor, and I can't r-really remember anyone I met before with his name, so maybe it's just my imagination." She laughed nervously. _'Well, that wasn't exactly a lie. I was thinking about that…'_

"Oh, is that so," Ren said, immediately sensing her lie. _'I think I would have a lot of time to question her later, so I guess I could let it pass.' _He thought.

When they arrived at Ren's apartment, Kyoko immediately prepared everything in the kitchen that she would use for the curry she plans to make. Ren was watching her from the living room, since she refused to make him help, without Kyoko's knowledge. _'I wonder what made her depressed a while ago, and why she wouldn't tell me what it is.'_ he thought, feeling slightly depressed that she won't tell him.

After the curry was done, both of them sat on a table, sitting opposite each other. They were silent for a while, but then Ren remembered that about his questioning. *_*

"Mogami-san, did something happen between you and Nobuo-san a while ago?" Ren asked, startling Kyoko for a bit.

"Uhm, why do you ask Tsuruga-san?" she asked feeling slightly nervous.

"I saw you two talking in the studio, after the meeting. I thought it was something important so I decided not to bother. So, what was it about?" he continued to press for answers.

Kyoko, sensing that there was no way out of this, bowed her head, and said everything in one breath, "I got Nobuo-san mad a while ago because I was being rude by staring at him!" she took a breath and spoke calmer, "I really didn't mean to make him mad, I just can't seem to tear my eyes away from him." Then she peeked at Ren's expression, preparing herself for the Demon Lord, when she was surprised and relieved that he wasn't really mad.

"So that was it?" he asked, then Kyoko nodded. "Then why did you hide it from me a while ago in the car?"

Kyoko looked up, surprised that her senpai knew that she lied '_I thought I was able to lie to him,'_ she mentally sighed. Then, in a quiet voice, she said, "Because I thought that when you knew, you wouldn't want me as a kohai anymore and that you won't want to see me again."

Ren, surprised by her words said, "Mogami-san, I won't do that. It's not like you killed someone. Plus, you apologized, right?" Kyoko nodded_. 'Seriously, I'm not sure what kind of image of me she has in her brain, but I think it doesn't look pretty,'_ he thought.

They spent the rest of the without much talk, and mostly about work. After dinner, Kyoko washed the dishes with Ren helping out by drying them up. They finished this quietly, while talking about some random things. After which, Ren offered Kyoko a ride home, with the drive mostly quiet. They said their goodbyes, and left.

_**Day of filming…**_

As always, Kyoko arrived early in the set, so brought out her script, and started to review it. Shortly thereafter, Yashiro-san and Ren arrived. When Kyoko noticed them, she approached them and said "Good Morning Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san," with a bow, and both greeted her with good mornings as well.

"So, Kyoko-chan, how was the dinner with Ren last night?" Yahiro-san asked, while looking at Ren with expectant eyes, with Ren looking as innocent as ever.

"Oh, nothing much, Yashiro-san, but at least Tsuruga-san was able to eat dinner properly," she replied with a smile. Then, she saw Takashi enter the studio. She had a mental battle on whether or not to approach him and say good morning, but eventually she was able to decide "Excuse me for a second," she said and approached Takashi. _'I hope he isn't mad anymore.'_

'_She seems to act normal, so most likely nothing big happened last night,' _he mentally sighed._ 'Ren is such a romantic failure. It looks like he won't take any action,' _he thought sadly. _'I think he needs some kind of motivation.'_ Then, he spotted Kyoko with Takashi. _'Hmm, I think this might do,'_ he thought mischievously.

"Good morning, Nobuo-san," she said with a very friendly smile. Takashi just replied to her with a nod, and turned away. Kyoko wanted to talk to him again, but then changed her mind when she heard someone call for her.

"Mogami-san, please get ready in that room over there. The stylist is waiting for you," a woman said.

She went inside the said room and went to prepare.

When Kyoko went out of the dressing room, she spotted Ren and Takashi already done preparing. Ren was wearing a plain, brown shirt that fit him perfectly, showing how fit his body was. He was also wearing jeans and some comfortable shoes. He also wore a black watch on his right wrist – it looks like the watches you see in spy movies, though the only thing it does is tell you the time. He was wearing green contacts and his hair was a little messy – not too messy – and it gave off a feeling that he was adventurous. _'No matter what he wears, he still looks attractive. I even think other girls would prefer seeing him like this – wear a fit shirt,'_ she mentally sighed, and then she spotted Takashi. Nothing much seemed to change from his appearance, aside from his clothes. He was wearing a white, striped, button-up shirt, wherein the top part of the shirt was partly opened, showing off his chest. He was wearing some comfortable jeans, and some black shoes made of leather, which seemed casual. _'Nobuo-san looks attractive as well. Both him and Tsuruga-san really looks like top models,'_ she sighed.

Kyoko, on the other hand was wearing a long, black, straight wig. She only wore a little make-up, but enough to emphasize her features, and she had blue contact lenses. She was wearing a white, summer, sleeveless dress. The dress was a little below the knees, and was made of cotton so it's very comfortable, and there were printed, pink flowers at the bottom. The dress emphasizes her slim body, and her graceful movements. Overall, she looked like an innocent angel.

Ren, who spotted her, started to approach her, planning to complement her, and started to say, "Moga – "

"Mogami-san, you look beautiful," Takashi suddenly said with a friendly smile, interrupting what Ren what about to say._ 'Whoa, what a transformation! She looks completely different from before; I almost didn't recognize her,_' he thought, surprisingly.

She blushed faintly and said, "Uhm… Thank you, Nobuo-san. You look great, yourself," she finished with a smile, _'Huh? Isn't he a bit too nice to me, especially with that friendly smile? I thought he was still mad at me,' _she wondered. _'Well, at least our relationship improved a bit,'_ she thought happily.

Ren, who was feeling quite annoyed, just put his gentlemanly smile in full force. _'How rude to interrupt what I was saying, and to think that he even said what I was planning to say,'_ he thought.

"Mogami-san, Tsuruga-san, and Nobuo-san please proceed to the set." Someone called out, so they proceeded on set.

"Okay, we'll act out the scene where Mogami-san's character, Yuriko, first meets Tsuruga-san's character, Tetsuo, after she gets awfully treated by Nobuo-san's character, Tsutomu," Director Ueda instructed. "Okay then, ready? Action!"

_Yuriko was walking in the halls of her house carrying a tray of muffins. 'I hope Tsutomu-kun would like these this time!' she thought, quite enthusiastic. When she approached Tsutomu, she presented him the tray of muffins she was carrying. "Tsutomu-kun, I made these muffins for you! I hope you'll try them out! They taste really good!" she said with a smile._

_Tsutomu, who was sitting comfortably on the chair in the living room, just glanced at what she was offering and said, "I don't want to eat any of those stupid trashes! I bet it tastes so awful!" he said, not considering any of the girl's feelings._

_Yuriko, hurt, wanted to cry, but then she didn't allow her composure to drop, so she tried to persuade him again, "Please, Tsutomu-kun. It doesn't taste awful, I promise! I've even tried one of them, myself!" she said, determined to let him taste what she made._

"_I told you! I don't like it!" he yelled, and threw the tray she was holding into the floor._

_Yuriko, depressed about what happened, suddenly ran away, and went outside, in the garden. Then she started to cry. Whilst crying, she heard some footsteps in the grass, getting closer and closer, so she turned around, thinking it was Tsutomu who wanted to apologize. Sadly, it wasn't Tsutomu; it was a person she didn't seem to know._

"_Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked, her voice breaking._

"_My name is Tetsuo. I heard you cry from the other side of that wall, when I was walking," he said and pointed to the wall on the right of the garden. "I was surprised, because I thought that no one lived around here, so I decided to take a look inside. Then, I saw you." He was about to say something else, when Yuriko suddenly pulled him into a storage room in the garden._

"_You shouldn't have done that! Father might find out and he might think that you're a thief! You'll be in big trouble!" she said in a low voice. "Plus, I'm not allowed to have any friends aside from Ts-Tsutomu-kun," she said, about to cry again, but then Tetsuo comforted her._

_When she already seemed to be okay, Tetsuo asked, "So, what's your name?"_

"_Yuriko," she said._

"_Okay, Yuriko-chan, starting today, we would become friends. You may call me Tetsuo-kun. Anyway, I have to go now. As you said, people might find me soon." He said and started to leave._

"_Wait!" Yumiko said, and when Tetsuo looked at her, she said, "When… When will I see you again?"_

"_Don't worry, Yuriko-chan, I'll come back tomorrow. I'll meet you here again, okay?" he said with a wink and smile, and then he left._

_Yuriko felt really happy now that she had another friend that seemed to be really nice. She also felt comforted that he would come back tomorrow, so she smiled a really happy smile._

"CUT!!! Okay, good job everyone!" Director Ueda said. "Please prepare for scene 3" he instructed, and then they went to change their clothes.

After the shoot, Kyoko, Ren, and Takashi changed back to their normal clothes. Ren was about to offer Kyoko for a ride to LME, when he Takashi beat him to it… again.

"Mogami-san!" he called, catching up with Kyoko. She turned around, wondering what he was going to tell her. "Mogami-san, would you like a ride? You're going to LME, right?" she nodded. "I'm headed there, too, so I think it would be okay for you to ride with me" he added.

**Thanks to following who reviewed in my previous chapter:**

**momoirousagichan, The nameless soul, Shadow Kitsune67, leavesfallingup**

**Thank you all very much!! ^_^**

**And this chapter, "The Blue Periwinkle" means "Early Friendship" ^^**

**I hope you would review and tell me where I should improve, and if I need to change something. I would really appreciate it!! ^_^.. Also, if you have any suggestions, please tell me!! :) thanks!! ^^**

**Oh, and about the next chapter, I'm not sure when I would be able to post it, but I'll do it as soon as I can… ^_^**

**PLEASE REVIEW!! ^_^**


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